Watch | PM Modi Takes Blessings From 98-Year-Old BJP Veteran Makhanlal Sarkar at Bengal Swearing-In

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday felicitated and took blessings from senior BJP worker Makhanlal Sarkar at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Ground during the swearing-in ceremony in West Bengal.

At the age of 98, Sarkar remains one of the early grassroots figures associated with the nationalist movement in post-Independence India.

In 1952, he was arrested in Kashmir while accompanying Syama Prasad Mukherjee during the movement to hoist the Indian tricolour there.

After the formation of the BJP in 1980, he became the organisational coordinator for West Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling districts. Within just one year, he helped enrol nearly 10,000 members.

From 1981 onward, he served continuously for seven years as district president, an exceptional achievement at a time when BJP leaders generally could not remain in the same organisational position for more than two years.

Suvendu Adhikari, who was elected as the leader of the BJP Legislative Party in West Bengal, took oath as the state's first BJP Chief Minister today.

Adhikari had contested from Nandigram and Bhabanipur, defeating outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from Bhabanipur by a margin of over 15,000 votes, marking a major political development in the state.

The BJP won 207 seats in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) secured 80 seats after ruling the state for 15 years.

Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan, along with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, are also present at the swearing-in ceremony.

Siliguri Mayor Gautam Deb on Saturday paid tribute to Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary at Bagajatin park.

Speaking on the occasion, Deb also extended wishes to Suvendu Adhikari.

"My best wishes to the new CM, who is going to take over. The legacy of Bengal is very rich and high, which should be maintained," he said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on the occasion of Pochishe Boishakh, describing him as a timeless voice of India's civilisational soul whose thoughts continue to inspire generations.

(With inputs from ANI)